Dr. W.A. (Wietske) Ester, MD, PhD

I’m Associate Professor at LUMC-Curium and work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist and senior researcher at Sarr Autism Rotterdam (Youz). I aim to improve care for autistic people and their parents by linking clinical work and research. I lead scientific research at Youz and contribute to national guidelines (e.g. NVvP, JGZ). I studied medical biology, medicine, and genetic epidemiology, and worked in pediatrics and clinical genetics. I’ve done research at Erasmus MC and Columbia University (NYC). At Sarr, I set up joint clinics with ID physicians, rehab doctors, and pediatric neurologists to offer integrated care. My research focuses on the mental and physical health of autistic people and their families. I lead the TANDEM study on Theraplay and stress, and work with large cohorts such as Lifelines, Generation R, and Health Campus The Hague/ELAN.

Autistic people more often face physical and mental health conditions, higher mortality, and barriers in medical care. Through my research using life-course epidemiology, I map which diseases occur and which bio-psycho-social factors play a role. I use data from Lifelines, Generation R, and Health Campus The Hague/ELAN. In lifestyle research, I focus on interventions like a combined lifestyle intervention (CLI) for autistic adults with obesity. In the TANDEM study, we also found increased obesity prevalence in young autistic children and their mothers. My research enables me to make targeted care and guideline recommendations. I share my findings through organizations such as the Dutch Autism Association.